Method of making axle housings



Nov. 22, 1932. RAGAN 1,888,835

METHOD OF MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS Filed Oct. 18, 1950 E eder/C/f Edgar ATTORNE Y. 5,

Patented Nov. 22, 1932 @FFEQE METHOD OF MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS Applicationfiled October 18, 1930.

This invention relates, as indicated, to a method of making axlehousings, specifically housings adapted to be employed in self--propelled vehicles such as automobiles and the like, and relatesparticularly to a method which is more economical and more expeditiousthan any methed heretofore employed.

The cost of axle housings for automobiles when made in accordance withthe methods hertofore employed has been excessive due to the fact thatthe extent of the pieces from which the housing is made is such thatexceptionally large machinery and equipment is necessary to accomplishthe forming operations by which such housings are made. The method ofmaking axle housings as heretofore followed has been to stamp a flatblank of suitable sheet material from a fiat sheet, such blank havingthe necessary outline so that after the same has been formed to thedesired contour, it will produce substantially one-half of the finishedaxle housing. Such formed blank is then placed in juxtaposition with acomplementary blank or axle housing half and the two portions weldedtogether along diametrically opposite, longitudinally extending seams toproduce the required finished structure. In the above cescribed methodthe presses required to blank out the stock from which the housings aremade have been exceptionally expensive in original cost as well asmaintenance due to the fact tlat the blanks have been made to extendthroughout chine to be provided with. dies which extend substantiallythroughout the lone idinal extent of the housing so that the fo. n55operation could be reduced to few steps as possible.

All of the above-named undes' ole 'tures of the hereinbefore usedmethods have Serial lio. 489,567.

tended toward the employment ofexceptionally large machines in anendeavor to reduce the cost of the finished product by eliminating asmuch as possible th expenditure for manual labor. presently exists inthe manufacturing field which has narrowed down the manufacture of axlehousings to a relatively small number of plants due to the fact thatthe'average size industrial unit cannot afford the expenditure of theenormous sums required for the machinery to accomplish'the desiredresults 'of the old method.

It is well known in the art of machine shop practice that if a suitableunit 'to'be operated upon can be reduced in size to within certainlimits, the rate of production is speeded up much more than evendirectly proportional to the reduction in size of such elements. It

is an object of my invention therefore to pro- H handled more uickly andmore economically than the old single units.

By blanking out the relatively large blanks from sheets of flat stockwhich blank forms extend from one end of the axle housing'to another;considerable scrap material is produced between adjacent blanks as outfrom the stock due to the fact that such large units do not lendthemselves very readily to nesting as do units of relatively smallerproportion. The employment of relatively small units, which are latercombined to form the finished. structure. therefore effectsaconsiderable saving in the amount of material required for the makingof the finished housinp s. It is among the objects of my invention toprovide a method of making automo- This has led to'a condition'whichbile axle housings and the like which shall have all of the above-nameddesirable characteristics. Other objects of my invention will appear asthe description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the steps hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claim, the annexed drawing and the followingdescrrption setting forth in detail one approved method of carrying outthe invention, such disclosed method, however, constituting but one ofthe various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a horizontal view of two blanks A and13 going to make up the axle housings; Figs. 2 is an elevation of ablank which has been bent and rounded to take the form of the housing;Fig. 3 is an elevation of the finished axle housing; and Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section of a portion of the housing taken on the line 44 ofFig. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing and more especially to Fig.1, the blank A and the blank B are flat pieces of metal stamped orpressed out of a sheet of metal of required thickness and of dimensionsrequisite to constitute one quarter of the housing body when the variousoperations to which it is to be treated subsequently have beencompleted. The shape of the blanks is defined by the longitudinal edges5, 5, and 6, 6, the transverse edges 7, 7, the arcuate edges 8, 8' and9, 9, and by the terminal edges 11, 11. The shape and size of theseblanks, as hereinbefore referred to, is such that they may beeconomically cut from a sheet of metal by means of smaller and much lesspowerful machines than heretofore required to stamp out the large sizeblanks from which the entire axle housing halves have been made. Ashereinbefore indicated and as apparent from this figure, the relativelysmall sections or blanks may be so laid out on the sheet and nested thata relatively small amount of material is wasted between successiveblanks.

After the blanks have been formed from the fiat stock, as hereinbeforeindicated, they are next bent and rounded to constitute the quartersegments of the housing body, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thesegment shown in this figure consists of a rounded and formed body withthe longitudinal edge 12 corresponding to the edges 5, 5 and 6, 6 ofblanks A and B, the transverse edge 13 corresponding to the transverseedges 7, 7, and the arcuate edge 14 corresponding to the edges 8, 8 and9, 9. These quarter segments due to their relatively small size arecapable of being efficiently handled and transported from one point inthe shop to another so that no special equipment or other provision needbe made for transporting these sections from the point where they areformed to the point where they will be ultimately united to form thefinished axle housing. The size of these relatively small quarters isalso of advantage in placing the several sections of the finishedhousing in the necessary jigs or holders preparatory to being united bywelding or otherwise.

In Fig. 3 is shown the assembled axle housing made up of four quartersegments 15, 16, 17 and 18, such as that shown in Fig. 2. The segmentshave been united at longitudinal edges 19 and 21 and at transverse edges22 and 23. Due to the fact that the metal from which the original blankswere stamped is naturally of uniform thick ness throughout, reinforcingmeans should and in a number of instances must be provided at pointswhere bolt holes and like attaching means are necessary. One method bywhich such reinforcing means may be provided around the aperture 25 isto provide a split reinforcing ring 24: around such aperture which maybe suitably secured to the body of the housing either by spot-welding orany like means. It will be noted, however, that instead of providing aseparate reinforcing means such as the ring 24, that portion of the axlehousing around the aperture 25 may be cut or blanked slightly largerthan is required for the finished product, and this additional metal maythen either be folded and bent over to form a double thickness of themetal around such aperture or an upsetting operation may be resorted toto produce the necessary thickness for the required. reinforcement. Thehousing may be provided with radial flanges 27 on its ends, which radialflanges may be made in any one of several well known manners such as bywelding a separate performed piece to the end of such housing, by havingan additional amount of metal in the blanks and then folding and bendingover such additional metal to form a double thickness radial flange, orsuch additional metal may be properly upset into the radial flange ofrequired strength.

As indicated above, the sequence of operations in the improved method ofmanufacturing axle housings is as follows: Blanks are stamped from asheet of metal with the least waste of metal between blanks; each blankis then bent and rounded to constitute a quarter segment of the housingbody and the separate segments, without being welded or otherwiseattached to each other, are transported to a point of assembly wherethey are placed in proper position to form the housing body and are thenunited at their edges. The manner of uniting the segments is also a partof my invention and, in the preferred method, is brought about bymounting the positioned segments on a; longitudinal axis whereon theassembly is revolved in order to bring all parts of the joint intocontact with stationary welding means. At the same time thelongitudinally adjacent edges of the segments are welded automatically,while the transversely adjacent edges may be welded manually orotherwise. The two welding operations take place simultaneously and thehousing body is completed rapidly and expeditiously.

It will be understood, however, that the above described method ofassembling the several units is not the only one contemplated within theprinciples of this invention, but the adjacent quarters on oppositesides of the transverse medial plane of the housing may first be weldedtogether so as to permit the two halves of the housing to besubsequently welded along the transverse seams, and further it may beadvisable for certain forms of housings to initially weld together thehalves which lie on the same side of the longitudinal medial plane andthen subsequently weld together the two longitudinally extending halvesalong the longitudinal seams. The particular procedure to be adoptedwill in a great measure depend upon the apparatus at hand foraccomplishing the result and further due to any peculiarities in theshape or size of the housing sections which would influence theparticular procedure.

The new and improved method of manufacturing aXle housings describedherein is cheaper and quicker than those methods ordinarily heretoforein use and effects large savings in material and equipment investment aswell as a number of other savings which will be so apparent to thosefamiliar with the art that a reiteration thereof is believed to beunnecessary.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the methodherein disclosed, provided the step or steps stated by the followingclaim or the equivalent of such stated step or steps be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my inventionI In the method of making aXle housings, the steps which comprise firstsevering flat blanks from a sheet of metal, second forming one of saidblanks to produce a quarter segment, third, forming complementarysegments from said blanks to produce the other quarter segments, andthen uniting all of said quarter segments to form the housing.

Signed by me, this 17th day of October,

FREDERICK H. RAGAN.

